Paper Mario: Sticker Star has been released on 3DS and been provided for us to preview/review by the publisher.

Believe it or not we are still playing it. Here are some extracts of what we made of it in chronological order:

"Paper Mario Sticker Star is a different approach to the Mario franchise, with turn-based battles, stickers to collect and a deeper adventure to uncover. In this FamilyGamerTV, we ask for the opinion of our kids, to see if this deeper adventure still appeals to young players..." - Family Gamer (Sat, 22 Dec 2012)

Paper Mario: Sticker Star is part of a series that feels like an alternative universe Mario platform. Bravely mixing roleplaying elements and combat with traditionally addictive Mario platforming, Paper Mario: Sticker Star promises a unique adventure.

The relationship between the Paper Mario games and the traditional genre-defining Mario platformers is tricky. Paper Mario: Sticker Star attempts to fuse Mario's classic platforming with roleplaying elements. Here, the turn-based combat returns after being removed for Super Paper Mario (Wii). However, instead of hit points and xp, Paper Mario upgrades his battle abilities by collecting stickers around the world.

Taking a cue from the ever-popular Trading Card Games, such as Pokemon TCG and Magic: The Gathering, the stickers in Paper Mario's album relates to abilities he can use. Stickers are laid down during battle to inflict damage upon opponents.

If you're new to the series and this all sounds a bit serious and intricate for a Mario game, fear not. The gameplay is as quick and addictive as other Mario titles and the battles, while turn-based, should still rattle through at a fun pace. Combine that with the beautifully quirky art and the usual joy-filled soundtrack and Paper Mario: Sticker Star could be a real winner. Plus, the visual style of 2D objects brought alive into 3D space looks like a perfect fit for the 3DS.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star is currently planned for release on the Nintendo 3DS on the 7th December 2012.

With so many different perspectives it can be hard to know where to start - a little like walking into a crowded pub. Sorry about that.

But so far we've not found a way to streamline our review output - there's basically too much of it. So, rather than dilute things for newcomers we have decided to live with the hubbub while helping new readers find the columnists they will enjoy.

What sort of gamer are you?

Our columnists each focus on a particular perspective and fall into one of the following types of gamers: